The Other Side Part 1: The Beginning
by KidatHeart5
Summary: This is the beginning of the crossover series of the year. Grievous, Aku, Discord, and Ruber's Griffin find themselves trapped by the evil Doctor Cafard. However, Double D's sudden arrival throws a wrench in the doctor's evil plans. The rogues have to depend on the boy if they want to escape a fate worse than death. However, they have to trek into many movies before going home.


**_Double D: How did I ever get myself involved with two nasty villains, a spirit with a jumble of body parts, and a mythological creature? I will say one thing, though: I didn't even think I would make it through the ordeal alive! I don't think I did, but I'm still here, aren't I? I know it's confusing now, but it will get clearer later. I will start off by saying this: it was a normal-or what the fellows might call "normal"-day for all of us…_**

Grievous had arrived on the bridge for a status report. Some time earlier, Count Dooku had told him of a powerful crystal thought to be found on the planet of Vanqor. The Sith Lord had instructed the general to retrieve the crystal for future use. Grievous didn't understand why he was to be the one to bring the crystal back to the count, but since Ventress was a traitor to the Separatists, he thought of this as some sort of honor. _A strange kind of honor, nonetheless, _he thought to himself.

He turned to his super tactical droid and commanded, "Helios, how far is it to Vanqor?" Helios calculated, "We have traveled twenty-three parsecs and we are just nearing our destination, General." Grievous groaned as he walked towards the command chair, "It's no wonder I've been feeling restless." However, that was only partially the truth. He sat in the chair and laid his head back with his eyes closed. He hadn't been getting enough rest for days on account of the nightmares he had been experiencing.

This happened every year: when it was close to the anniversary of nearly dying in the Jenuwaa Sea, he'd have constant nightmares of drowning and seeing the burnt bodies of his comrades sinking to the bottom. Typically, in some of those nightmares, he'd see one more body on the sand, but it had been long-decayed. Sometimes, he dived down towards this body, all in the hope of seeing her one last time since her gruesome death. However, when he'd try to touch her, the body would rapidly disintegrate. That's when he would feel heaviness in his joints and see that they were rusting. When he felt himself touch the bottom, he'd jolt from his fitful slumber and recover from both the fright of his nightmares and the pain of heartbreak long past.

Ever since he had been fully transformed into the cyborg he was now, he had been haunted by these dreams. This, in turn, would cloud his judgment and hinder his performance in battles for a time. He also became more short-fused and impatient around now than any other time of the year. No one but he knew the exact cause of the decline in victories. This made him yearn for the life he used to have when he was the famed khagan of Kalee. Even before he improved himself with cybernetics, he was a force to be reckoned with. Thinking back to his glory days as opposed to the recent Clone Wars, Grievous was weary with heartache and shame.

"Sir, we've arrived at Vanqor."

Grievous opened his eyes just in time to see the fleet jump out of hyperspace. He saw the dismal blue-grayish planet and braced himself for a simple, if not tedious, retrieval mission. He rose from his chair and ordered, "Keep the ships in orbit and send a droid squad with the transports. I'm going down to the planet myself." He took this opportunity to escape from the metallic surroundings he had seen on so many of the ships he had commanded from.

Once the transports landed in front of a cave on the planet's surface, the droids marched out with digging equipment. Grievous himself exited the transport with four lightsabers at his waist. He inquired one of the droids holding a scanner, "Have you located the crystal?" The droid shook his head, "Uh, no, General. Our scanners haven't picked up anything."

Refusing to believe that statement, Grievous abruptly took the scanner from the droid and looked at it. To the general's surprise, there was a small blip within the cave. He found this to be odd and decided that the droid's sensory receptors were malfunctioning. He took to the cave and activated one of his lightsabers. He shined the blue light around the dark area and the crystal in the veins of countless rocks gleamed back at him.

He looked at the scanner and saw the blip was a few clicks in front of him. He turned to the droids, who were scouring in areas nearby, and ordered, "The crystal is up ahead. Bring the digging equipment and exhume the crystal with caution." As the droids marched in front of him, he suddenly heard a high-pitched whining sound. He adjusted his antennae, but he still heard it. He mumbled to himself, "I'm not a Jedi, but I could've sworn I heard a kyber crystal!"

Just when he was following the squad, the cavern floor gave way underneath him. Grievous gave a yell and tumbled very roughly down a tunnel. When he finally stopped, he coughed from the dust he picked up while he was getting up. He could hardly breathe or see in this semi-dark environment. When he finally regained his breath and senses, he was recovering from the dizziness that overcame him in the last few minutes. He shifted his gaze toward the source of the dim light and found that it was the kyber crystal.

As he stood up, he surveyed the crystal and the rock it was embedded in. He blinked a few times before realizing that the crystal was not as large as Count Dooku described. He was less than impressed with the crystal, which seemed to be big enough to fit in both hands cupped side by side. He shook his head and remarked, "Count, you must be losing your touch if…" As he was saying that, he touched the crystal, which in that moment began to glow. Before the light surrounded him, Grievous cried out, "Wha-?!"

When the light faded, the cyborg found himself in another strange place. He was in a tight space now, and as he looked closer, he saw that he was in a cylindrical containment unit! What little he could see outside the tube was dimly lit. However, thanks to Grievous's thermoreceptors and his cybernetically keen eyesight, he could make out all he was able to see from his position. He saw a grilled floor with green light emanating from it, a control console that was at least five to six feet long, and more containment units to his left! The one next to him looked to be huge and rectangular and the other two on its left were identical to the one holding Grievous, if not slimmer. Grievous narrowed his eyes and thought, _Just what insidious plot is this?_

As if an answer to his question, a wicked laugh came from the control console. Grievous turned to see yellow round eyes in the darkness. A silky, menacing voice spoke, "Ah, General Grievous! My, what a catch you are! And to think, you are already playing a role in a much bigger plan than this one."

Grievous pounded on the glass as he demanded, "Where am I?! What purpose have I been brought here for?! I demand to know!" The voice tsked, "So many questions, so little time. I'm afraid you won't find out until much too late." Grievous said before he could grab for his lightsabers, "You shall not keep me prisoner here!"

The voice admonished, "Ah, ah, ah, general. We expect full cooperation, but since that's out of the question…" Suddenly, long needle-like arms stretched from the top of the tube and before the general could ignite his lightsabers, electricity shot from the arms and shocked Grievous. He screamed out in pain before his mechanical parts surrendered to the floor. He found he could not move his arms or any other parts, much like the humiliating capture by the filthy Gungans. He refocused on the matter at hand when he saw claw-like arms reach down and abscond his lightsabers.

The voice purred, "See? This is why we wanted cooperation, not retaliation. No matter. Soon we shall have the other three and the plan for destruction will be complete." Grievous narrowed his eyes in refusal to be part of this plan.

Finally, he was his own self again. The burns had been bad, but the Griffin was amazed at how quickly the purple flowers healed him. When he assessed the damage the two-headed dragon had done to his body, he nearly broke into tears. As soon as there was no trace of the injuries, Griffin spent his days surviving in the Forbidden Forest. He was miserable on two accounts: one, he saw how hideous he was while his feathers and fur were growing back, and two, he couldn't go back to his herd…not now. He knew he had lost his master, but he couldn't bear the thought of returning to the gorge he had once called home.

For now, he had to find a new home, one far from the eyes of Camelot. He knew if the knights or King Arthur found that he was still around, they would surely hunt him down. He had, after all, been the pet and henchman of Baron Ruber, a traitor who had died trying to take over Camelot. Griffin knew that finding a new master was not an option. He then decided that he would look out for only himself. This would also mean living out the rest of his days in loneliness, but that was going to be something he just had to live with.

He traveled on foot until Camelot was out of range and after that, he flew. From the many times he had flown the landscape when he was only a chick, he knew to find a suitable home in the mountains. He searched every crag and crevice until he saw a cave that seemed to meet the needs of a griffin. He flew into the cave and surveyed the dim inside. _Yes, _he thought, _this is nice enough to be my new home_.

Griffin looked at the view the opening gave him. He reveled in the spectacular landscape before him and relished the breeze bristling through his fur and feathers. For a moment, he felt like the mighty and proud griffin he was meant to be, not the subservient mess-up serving a vengeful former knight. From now on, he would be the creature that the land and its inhabitants would watch out for. He would never have to rely on anyone or anything ever again.

As he retired to the darkness of the cave, there was suddenly a flash of green light within. Griffin took great curiosity in this and thought that someone or something might already be living in the cave. As he cautiously drew nearer, he saw that the light was coming from a green crystal imbedded in the floor. He decided to dig it out and use it to start a treasure hoard. However, at the moment he set his claws on it, there was a blinding flash of white light.

When Griffin opened his eyes, he saw that he was not in his cave anymore. He looked around and saw that he was in a new cavern, only decorated with strange objects and things not found in his land. When he peered to his right, he saw something peculiar in a glass tube. It seemed to be someone in a strange armor that entirely covered the body. When Griffin tried to look for signs of flesh, he found none except the being's eyes. They were closed, but when they opened, Griffin knew they weren't human eyes. These eyes were yellow with slits and blacks where the whites should be.

Griffin asked, "Have you used the witches' potion, too?" "Not quite," an eerie voice echoed from the long block. When Griffin turned to the voice, he saw round eyes as green as his. He crouched down to ready for attack. "Try as you might, beast," the voice dared. Griffin lunged at the voice, but was immediately met with a hard wall. When he regained his senses, he discovered he was in a glass box his size.

The voice taunted, "As you can see, you have no way out. And I will make sure you won't." Griffin suddenly felt a pain through his abdomen. A few moments later, he began to feel woozy and could hardly keep his balance. Though he was only barely conscious, he saw bright yellow ropes on either side bind him and fasten to the wall opposite of where they came. Just when he was bound, Griffin fell to the ground and succumbed to the darkness.

When he first heard about it, Aku could hardly believe it. From what the robot had told him, there was a crystal that could make the demon lord powerful enough to overcome that dreaded sword and annihilate the samurai once and for all. Aku was careful not to get too revved up by the robot's words, but he couldn't help but be excited over this. He sent scores of aliens and machines to dig up this potent jewel. He was so ecstatic that he began having dreams about ending the only threat to his rule…and his life. However, he received unexpected news that gave him cause to worry.

The first few robot workers who contacted him told him that the crystal was giving out powerful surges that drove the diggers back. At first, Aku saw no concern in it and thought that the surges were mere demonstrations of the crystal's power. However, he decided to scry on the digging crew and saw an incident right before his eyes. After seeing such a spectacle, he did not hesitate to leave.

The sun was rising and the digging crew was only 20 yards from the peak that held the crystal. There was another surge the previous night and the crew decided to keep their distance. The ground shook and the robots and aliens thought the crystal was going to drive them further back. However, a black mass erupted from the ground and shaped itself to reveal their lord and master, Aku. He had buried his alarm and masked it with displeasure. "Have you no persistence?" he shouted. "Here you are, standing yards away from the only item that could make the great Aku powerful!"

A robot foreman stammered, "But, my lord, the crystal's surges have cost us…" Aku interrupted, "I care not about your losses! You are not making enough effort to retrieve the crystal! You are pathetic and useless weaklings and I…" Just then, he heard a high-pitched whining and turned to see a green wave bursting from the cave. The crewmen shouted, "Run for it! Look out!"

They ducked for cover, but Aku transformed into a flying dragon to evade the wave. He flew towards the cave before the crystal could produce another surge. When he shrunk himself and transformed into his regular self, he braced himself for another wave, but it didn't come. He ventured further into the cave and found the green glowing crystal nestled in stone.

Aku grinned both evilly and gleefully, "Yes! After all this time, samurai, I will put an end to your defiance and our fights once and for all! I am the true victor!" He was about to laugh maniacally, but when he touched the crystal, white light blinded him.

When he could see again, he saw that he was trapped in a glass tube. Fury rose within him as he thought it was a trick from the samurai. He looked around and saw a cavern with a control console and containment units from either side of him. Just then, a voice said, "Lord Aku, I'm so glad you could make it." Aku searched for the person the voice belonged to, but all he saw was round red eyes. "Just who do you think you are, trying to contain the all-powerful Aku?" "Oh, I have a trick up my sleeve," the voice responded.

At that moment, gas filled Aku's tube. The demon could hardly breathe as he coughed, "What…are…you doing…to me?" Before the voice could answer, Aku felt himself getting unconscious. He also felt a strange sensation that made him weak enough to fall into the black.

As Spike sat on his mini throne in complete boredom, he decided to catch a few more winks. Suddenly, a ruckus caused him to jump into the air. He regained his senses to hear a strange assortment of sounds coming from above. When he heard grumbling, Spike panicked, for he thought it might be a burglar. He hurried up the stairs and stopped just before the entryway to the kitchen. He put his back to the wall and mustered every bit of courage he had. _Okay, Spike,_ he thought to himself. _One…two…_

The dragon charged into the kitchen roaring as much as his little body could take. Instantly, he slipped on a wet puddle and cried out as he fell. When he slid to a stop, he heard a familiar voice asking, "You know, if you were trying to scare the living daylights out of me, I'd say it worked out pretty well…until you slipped on that puddle. It was quite amusing, I admit." Spike lifted his head to see Discord wearing a chef's hat and an apron. The dragon rose from the floor and asked, "What are you doing in Twilight's castle? I thought it was just me."

Discord explained, "Naturally, I let myself in and went on a little tour of Twilight's new home. I must say, it's much fancier than that library she used to live in. Is she still thinking about it?" Spike sighed, "Yeah. It was one of her most favorite places in Equestria. Well, pretty much anywhere with a ton of books would be a favorite to her."

The draconequus smiled, "Of course she'd like books. That's why I'm giving her some. Where are her and her little friends, anyway? Gone out for a day at the spa?" Spike shook his head, "Nope. They had to go on a mission."

Discord beamed, "A mission? Do tell- did Princess Celestia send them to defend the zebras or perhaps retrieve a special artifact?" The dragon answered, "Neither, actually. They just went wherever the cutie marks on the map were pointed." Discord asked, "Err…this map wouldn't happen to be on a table in the middle of the throne room, would it?" When Spike nodded, the spirit of chaos said, "Well, this is a first for Twilight and her friends- to just go venturing off somewhere doing who-knows-what. At least it'll buy some time to get a few more gifts for the ponies."

At this point, Spike couldn't help but ask, "Excuse me, but what kind of gifts are you getting them?" Discord turned back to him and took off his chef's hat as he said, "Well, they're more or less apology gifts. I thought I'd make it up to them for what happened recently. Believe me, Spike, I feel just awful for what I did to them and every pony in Equestria…especially Fluttershy." Spike could hear to utter guilt in Discord's voice and felt a twinge of pity for him. The dragon patted the spirit's goat leg and reassured him, "You know, you did help Twilight get her key. If you hadn't, she and her friends wouldn't have defeated…that guy."

Discord flashed a small smile at him and said to him, "Thank you for not mentioning that name. You know how I feel about…" He cleared his throat before he got too lost in thought, "Anyway, I'm trying to make a cake for Pinkie Pie." He snapped up a list and pointed out some names as he said, "Let's see, I've got a birdhouse tower for Fluttershy, a winged crown for Rainbow Dash, and some flapple seeds for Applejack." Spike asked in confusion, "Flapple?" Discord waved his paw and chuckled, "Yes, they're a special kind of apple. Believe me, Applejack will find it surprising." He flashed a mischievous grin that caused Spike alarm.

The draconequus continued, "I seem to be missing something, though. Surprisingly, I haven't found a gift for Rarity, and she's the only pony who's easiest to get something for." He eyed Spike slyly and asked, "Since you're close to Rarity, won't you help find something suitable for her? You do want to impress the pony, don't you?" Spike knew Discord was getting at the dragon's crush for Rarity, but he couldn't deny it. He said, "Okay. I'll help you find a gift for her."

Discord cried, "Excellent!" With a snap of his fingers, the kitchenware and cake batter vanished and fashion catalogs took their place. Discord pulled one from the counter and flipped through the pages, stopping a few times to show Spike. He said as he did so, "What do you think she'll like? This? This? Or perhaps this?

"Ooh! That one will look splendid on her!" Spike pointed out, "Those are very nice, but they cost a lot." He snapped his claw as he cried, "I know! Rarity likes gems! We can dig for some and it's free! There are some gems on the ridges out of town."

Discord waved his paw and claw as he asked, "We aren't going to run into those nasty Diamond Dogs, are we?" Spike scoffed, "Nah. The place where we'll be going is far from where they kidnapped Rarity." The draconequus grinned, "Well, what are we waiting for?" He snapped into digging attire and said, "Let's get digging! Lead the way, Mr. Spike!"

The two made their way to a cave where Spike and Rarity had been a few times. Spike said, "Okay, the shiniest jewels are about ten feet deep. That's where they're ripest. We can search for the best ones for Rarity there." Discord said, "Well, you're the expert. I believe you."

Just a few minutes into digging out gems, Discord saw a bright green light shining deep in the cave. He said to Spike, "Look, Spike! I think it may be a gem perfect for Rarity!" Spike looked in the direction Discord was facing, but all he saw was darkness. The dragon shook his head, "I'm sorry, Discord, but I don't see anything." Discord was in disbelief and asked, "How could you not see a glow so bright? You're a dragon, for crying out loud!"

Spike shrugged, "I wish I could see what you're seeing, but I can't." Discord grunted, "Fine! I'll just go down there and retrieve it myself!" He marched on towards the green glow and saw a beautiful green crystal half-buried in rock. Discord said, "Ah-ha! This is certainly a gem worthy of Rarity's tastes. Wait till I show Spike this gorgeous green…"

But as soon as his pick-ax touched the edge of the crystal, white light emanated from it. Discord trailed off before the light could surround him, "…stone?" When his eyes recovered from the light, Discord looked around at his new surroundings. He could barely see anything but strange creatures trapped in glass tubes and a box. He looked around where he was and realized he was trapped just like the others! He demanded, "What's going on?"

Before he could take action, gas filled the tube. Discord began to cough and found it difficult to breathe. Just then, he heard a voice chuckle and woozily gazed up to see gray round eyes. "Well, Master of Chaos," the voice spoke, "it looks like you've gotten yourself into another mess. This time, you'll be causing more damage than you had twice before." Discord groggily thought, _What? No…_

When he was nearing unconsciousness, Discord felt a familiar sensation he had felt only recently. He didn't know how he knew, but just before he slipped into darkness, he thought, _No…Not again…_

As soon as the creature was out cold, Doctor Cafard stepped out from the shadows that surrounded the control console. With hands behind his back, he walked to the containment units and the worthy rogues they held. First, he came up to Discord and traced a finger on the glass. He spoke, "Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony, it's not hard living up to your name, but it's rather difficult to live among the ponies in peace. You're only who you are, and all you'll ever be is a troublemaker."

Then, he came up to Aku and placed his forearm against the glass. He said, "Aku, the Shapeshifting Master of Darkness and Living Embodiment of Evil, you've built up quite a reputation, feared by all but one: your nemesis, Samurai Jack. His sword is all that stands between you and ultimate power. If only you could be strong enough to overcome the light, but clearly, I have already defeated you and not with light." Next, he walked towards Griffin's unit and placed both hands on the glass.

He inhaled strongly, "Just look at yourself, oh magnificent Griffin! You have unbridled strength and a fierce willpower! How ever did you manage to survive the fire of that two-headed dragon? Surely you must've had it rough, but I suppose you've had it much rougher just being in the service of Baron Ruber. Are you really the fearsome creature everyone's supposed to cower from?"

Finally, he walked up to Grievous's unit and tapped his index finger on the glass. Since the cyborg was awake, the doctor used a derisive tone with him. He mocked, "And lastly, General Grievous. I can't say 'not least' since your two masters are greater than you. Every citizen in the Republic sees you as a ruthless monster when, really, you are almost nothing underneath that intimidating armor you wear. Are you truly as they say, general? Are you that avatar of fear everyone hates, or are you just a cowardly weakling who tries so vainly to be the person he once was?"

He chuckled evilly while Grievous roared as he tried to move himself. Doctor Cafard simply waved his hand in dismissal and said, "Oh, don't try to daunt me, general. You can't move, remember? You are defenseless under my control." As the doctor climbed towards the control console, Grievous asked crossly, "What are you planning to do with us? We can't possibly serve any purpose if we're unconscious or immobile, like me."

Doctor Cafard swiftly grasped the control console as he answered, "That's the beauty in it, general. You all will be so vulnerable that I will further take your dignity by forcing you to do something beyond your character." He shouted towards the tunnel on Grievous's right, "Gentlemen, bring in the inducing potion!" Just then, there was a march resounding from the tunnel. Moments later, bipedal cockroaches in lab attire walked in rows of two. Grievous was disgusted at the sight, but responded snidely, "I suppose your henchmen reflect your unpleasant personality."

Doctor Cafard took this comment with a sneer and returned his attention to his henchmen. Suddenly, the henchman carrying the potion tripped and fell on his comrades. He accidentally let go of the potion and the doctor raced to catch it. However, before he could get to it, it landed on a warp disc located on the control console. Just when Cafard was about to reach it, another henchman bumped the controls. In a few moments, the potion had vanished.

Cafard growled at the cockroaches, "You imbeciles! It was as simple as walking and you failed!" Grievous remarked, "I think your bugs are more incompetent than the droids I command." Cafard replied, "Perhaps I should've knocked you unconscious like the others." He turned to one of his assistants and asked, "Have you found where the potion was sent?"

The cockroach chirped and Cafard leaned over to the screen. He gave a look of unease and said, "There? I must admit that is a strange planet."

**_Author's Note: Here's the first chapter of my multi-crossover! I wanted to release it on my birthday so it'd be special. I can't say the same about my comic version of it, though. I would appreciate the birthday greetings and I hope I don't disappoint with this crossover!_**


End file.
